China issues 12.92 trillion yuan in new loans in H1

China issued 12.92 trillion yuan (about 1.81 trillion U.S. dollars) in new yuan-denominated loans in the first half of the year, the central bank data showed on Monday.

At the end of June, the balance of local and foreign currency loans was 272.57 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.8 percent, according to the data in a report released by the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

"At the end of June, the balance of various types of Chinese yuan loans extended by financial institutions stood at 268.56 trillion yuan (37.47 U.S. dollars), up 7.1 percent year on year. In the first half of 2025, the balance of various types of Chinese yuan loans increased by 12.92 trillion yuan (1.8 trillion U.S. dollars), indicating that the financial system maintained a high level of credit support for the real economy," said Yan Xiandong, head of Statistics and Analysis Department of PBOC.

The central bank's report also pointed out that in the first six months, household loans increased by 1.17 trillion yuan, of which short-term loans decreased by 300 million yuan and medium-and long-term loans increased by 1.17 trillion yuan.

"In the first half of the year, the balance of loans extended to enterprises and public institutions increased by 11.57 trillion yuan (1.61 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for 89.5 percent of the balance of all new loans, up 6.6 percentage points over the same period of last year, with the amount of medium- and long-term loans increasing by 7.17 trillion yuan (1 trillion U.S. dollars)," Yan said.

The report also noted that by the end of June, the foreign currency loan balance was 560.9 billion U.S. dollars, down 10.6 percent year on year. Foreign currency loans increased by 18.8 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of the year.

The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.3 percent year on year to 330.29 trillion yuan at the end of June.

The M1, which covers cash in circulation, demand deposits and clients' reserves of non-banking payment institutions, stood at 113.95 trillion yuan at the end of June, up 4.6 percent year on year.

The M0, which indicates the amount of cash in circulation, reached 13.18 trillion yuan at the end of June, an increase of 12 percent year on year.

China issues 12.92 trillion yuan in new loans in H1

Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."

Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.

"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.

"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.

EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland